As part of July GoA/UN joint appeal intervention, WFP continues delivery to high food price and drought affected people in eastern, northern and southern region. Under this programme 4.5 million people will benefit from 198,000 tons of WFP food assistance both in rural and urban areas in most parts of the country. In addition, 500,000 malnourished children (6-59 months) and lactating & pregnant women will benefit from the joint appeal of 28,000 tons of food.

The influx of refugees at the Dadaab camp continues. The urgency for establishment of additional camps to cater for the increasing numbers remains a priority to ease the congestion in the camp.
WFP and partners are gradually phasing out beneficiaries under previously targeted in the post election crisis areas. Currently, 150,000 IDPs are receiving food and non-food assistance in these areas down from 300,000 at the peak period in January 2008.

WFP conducted an assessment of severely economically affected people due to movement restrictions over several months in three villages in Mannar, the northern district, considering three-month food assistance.
WFP will hold a ceremony to launch the “Fill the Cup” campaign in Sri Lanka on 10 December. Partners include, Government of Sri Lanka, Unilever and TNT. Unilever, WFP’s partner in raising awareness and funds for school feeding and nutrition support, has helped organize the campaign, and will pledge contributions worth US$14,000. TNT has helped develop a strategy for the campaign.

Due to resourcing constraints, WFP, C-SAFE (a major pipeline), and donors have agreed to put a cap on the distribution of food assistance to a maximum of 6 members per household under the VGF during December 2008. By applying the cap, WFP will provide food to 3.5 million people with nearly 40,000 mt of food, while maintaining the same ration given in November 2008 distributions (a cereal ration of 10 kg and pulses 1 kg per person per month). For the SN, WFP plans to assist 400,000 people in December 2008 with nearly 4,000 mt of food.
Within the context of the cholera outbreak, WFP is exploring the possibility of a cross-contamination mitigation strategy. The strategy would include the provision of food (prepared on-site) to Cholera Treatment Centers/Units (CTC/CTU) for staff on shift, care-takers and to recuperating patients before their discharge. On 9 December 2008, WFP met with C-SAFE, MSF-H & MSF-L to finalise a food intervention model/strategy that caters to the threshold of CTC patients and offers food baskets with commodities. The inter-cluster technical working group on cholera will also be involved in the inter-agency contingency plan for cholera response by 15 December 2008.

WFP, the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC), and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) agreed to rehabilitate the worst stretch of the Sake-Massisi road starting 1 December 2008 for one week. Humanitarian activities can then resume in Massisi.

The registration process for new arrivals at Dadaab camp is ongoing albeit at a slow pace. WFP and UNHCR are finalizing plans to provide a one-month ration to ‘wrist-banded’ refugees in expectation that registration will be completed within a month. The new numbers will be reflected in the December distribution cycle. Kakuma refugee camp has also received 500-1,000 new arrivals from Somalia.
The Mombasa port operation has had an upsurge of activities due to the high rate of ship arrivals and subsequent dispatches by road and transshipment to Somalia. It is expected that there will be increased activity with cargo arrival for DRC.

As of 21 November 2008, nearly 5.7 million people were registered under the Vulnerable Group Feeding Programme (VGF). Of those registered, 4.2 million are eligible for food aid in the coming month. The number of people confirmed to be in the worst food insecure categories (1 and 2), presently eligible for assistance, is much higher than initially anticipated by the results from the Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission and the planning figures of budget revision for the PRRO. Registrations are still on-going.
Following the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, WFP is scheduling a meeting with MSF, USAID and ECHO to establish an appropriate solution for WFP assistance to cholera patients.

Following discussions with MONUC on 19 November, WFP was able to dispatch trucks loaded with emergency food assistance for the villages of Komanda, Badia and Nyakunde in Orientale Province. More than 143 mt has been dispatched and distributed by CPs ADESSE and ADRA to more than 29,400 beneficiaries.
Transporters in Bukavu do not have enough trucks to meet the desired dispatch total of 150 mt per day. With the combined weather and road conditions, deliveries are taking longer than planned and trucks are not available.